Chapter 2

"Well... alright. Young Master, please wait a moment while I observe the surrounding environment." Lianhuo felt helpless, but since his mission this time was in a relatively stable and prosperous area where the local general maintained good order, he agreed to Mingye's request. After all, no one wanted to live a life of hardship.

After a few minutes, Lianhuo returned to Mingye's side, hoisted him onto his back, and they set off again, leaping from the cliffside and vanishing into the woods.

After another hour of travel, the two finally arrived at a village. It consisted of only a dozen wooden huts, and as they entered, Mingye frowned, feeling a sense of unease in his heart.

Once they had checked into an inn and were resting in their room, Lianhuo, curious about Mingye's troubled expression, asked, "Has Young Master Mingye discovered something amiss with the village?"

"Why is there not a single young man in this village? I haven't even seen any children." Mingye peered intently out the window, hoping to spot even a newborn, but apart from the elderly, there were no males to be found—not even a boy, and only three elderly men in total.

"Heh! Young Master Mingye, this is the territory of General Honda within the Land of Fire. The Land of Fire is filled with countless warlords, all vying to be the one beneath the Daimyo. If there are any men, they are forcibly conscripted into the army!" Lianhuo chuckled softly, explaining once he understood Mingye's confusion.

"Then what about here...!" Mingye was shocked. His previous self had never experienced the fires of war and knew nothing of its cruelty. In this era, he was only a five or six-year-old child, and having never truly participated in Uchiha ninja battles, he had no way of understanding this so-called reality.

"Young Master, everything here has nothing to do with us!" Knowing what Mingye wanted to say, Lianhuo interrupted him with a faint smile, as if recalling his own naive youth. Innocence was a natural trait for a child, but it was not tolerated by society or reality—because this was the Warring States period.

"I understand." Realizing the meaning behind Lianhuo's words, Mingye said no more. The two fell into an awkward sleep as the night deepened.

"Young Master, wake up!" Just as Mingye was mocking himself for his laziness, the door slid open, and Lianhuo entered carrying two bags that emitted the aroma of roasted meat.

Mingye sat up, sweeping away his earlier gloom, and took the bag from Lianhuo's hand. "Pheasant! I didn't expect you to know my thoughts so well, Lianhuo!"

"I went to gather herbs earlier and found a few pheasants in the wild, so I caught them, prepared them, and brought them back. Eat quickly, Young Master; we must set off for the next village soon!" Lianhuo smiled. Knowing Mingye loved meat and having done it as a simple task, he laughed at Mingye's praise before speaking.

"Mm-hmm! I know!" Mingye tore off a piece of chicken, stuffed it into his mouth, nodded, and trotted over to the table to begin the arduous task of devouring the meal.

After returning from the trip with Lianhuo, Mingye was left alone in his father's study. Looking at the furnishings, he was puzzled as to why his father would leave him there to reflect in solitude. Curious about the various books on the shelves, he pushed his doubts aside and began to carefully examine the books and the ninja scrolls marked with names.

"Fire Release... Fire Release... Water Release... Lightning Release... Fire Release... Water Release... There are so many. If we are talking about the sheer quantity of ninjutsu, perhaps no other ninja clan can compare to the Uchiha... No... there is no 'perhaps.' It should be that absolutely no clan can compare to the Uchiha. To be in such a clan is truly fortunate, yet also unfortunate!"

As Mingye boredly flipped through the scrolls, a thin booklet in the corner of the shelf caught his eye.

"Poison?! What is this? Chakra poison? Damn, using the five elements of chakra as a poison for attacks—is that even possible? Whatever, Dad shouldn't spank me for this book, right? Yeah, that's decided!" Intrigued by the contents, Mingye tucked the booklet into his clothes and sat back down on the cushion to wait for his father.

A moment later, Tajima entered the study, sat in the main seat, and looked at Mingye. "What are your thoughts after this trip?"

"This child does not know what Father wishes to ask." Mingye shook his head.

"The strong rule the weak; those with ability live longer than the incompetent. In the four villages you and Lianhuo visited, have you seen more than ten young men in total?" Tajima did not expose Mingye's feigned ignorance and asked again.

"I have not." Mingye shook his head again.

"You began learning chakra refinement at three. You understood it instantly, and your learning ability even surpassed your two older brothers. Yet, why have you gained nothing in three years, and why is your chakra only enough for two Fireball Jutsus?" Tajima stood up, walked to the bookshelf, tossed a scroll at Mingye, and questioned him.

"This child is dull-witted!" Mingye knew the significance of his father in this life, but he truly did not want to cultivate chakra, as it would become a fatal weakness in the later stages. Wouldn't it be better to find another way to cultivate while he was still young? With this naive thought, Mingye tried to play dumb again.

"Could someone dull-witted perform a Fireball Jutsu without anyone teaching them the technique?"

"..."

"In this world, if you want to smile and play whenever you wish, you must have strength that surpasses others. If you don't, you can only live like a dog. Because you are my son, you can still be this relaxed, but have you thought about the future? The Uchiha clan does not need trash!" Seeing Mingye speechless, Tajima sighed, shook his head, and issued a warning.

"This child understands."

"I only intended for you to reflect here today, but it seems you have no serious considerations. You will skip dinner."

"Yes."

After Tajima left, Mingye sat cross-legged on the floor, looking at the scroll Tajima had thrown to him. "Great Fireball Technique, a C-rank ninjutsu. What a headache. Why must I learn this high-level Fire Release? And I have to learn it in one night—how unlucky!"

Thump.

An apple hit Mingye on the head. He looked up to see Madara hiding on the rafters, observing the surroundings. "What did Dad want? He told Mom you were supposed to be reflecting here!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Mingye didn't answer. He carefully studied the hand seals on the scroll, dropped it, stood up abruptly, and performed the seals rapidly, blowing toward Madara on the rafters. An awkward situation ensued: a wisp of gray smoke emerged from Mingye's mouth, but not even a spark appeared.

"!!!"

Madara stared, eyes wide, speechless. Mingye felt extremely embarrassed; he patted his hands, sat back down calmly, and sighed.

"Sigh! I knew it wouldn't work!"

Madara snapped out of it, jumped down, stood beside Mingye, and slapped him on the head, glaring. "Are you crazy? Using Fire Release on me? This is Dad's study! If you set this place on fire, you'll be waiting to be hacked to pieces by Father!"

"I was just testing it, as you can see, I can't release it," Mingye replied calmly, rubbing the spot where Madara had hit him.

"That's not the point!" Seeing Mingye's attitude, Madara grew furious, kicked Mingye over, and cursed.

Mingye felt he had already mastered the Great Fireball Technique, thinking the "Great" version was just an enhanced version of the previous one. He performed the seals again.

Madara heard the sound of the seals and turned quickly, only to see a flame the size of a hair strand flying toward him, grazing his cheek. A legendary cross-shaped vein appeared on Madara's forehead.

"You better practice seriously!!"

Then, Madara hammered his fist onto Mingye's head.

Beside a lake, Mingye performed the hand seals and spat out a massive fireball. He gave a thumbs-up, looked proudly at the drowsy Madara behind him, and mocked loudly, "Tremble, mortals! This Great Immortal is a genius seen once in ten thousand years. I learned such a powerful Fire Release in just one night! Why have you not come to kneel and worship me yet!"